Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 11 requests for export assistance from Foremost Farms, Dairy Farmers of America, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold), and United Dairymen of Arizona. These member cooperatives have contracts to sell 1.784 million pounds (809 metric tons) of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese and 652,568 pounds (296 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Oceania. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from October 2016 through January 2017.

So far this year, CWT has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 44.192 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 10.979 million pounds of butter (82% milkfat) and 19.096 million pounds of whole milk powder to twenty-three countries on five continents. The sales are the equivalent of 794.321 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program, in the long-term, helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the U.S. farm milk that produces them. This, in turn, positively impacts all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.

The amounts of dairy products and related milk volumes reflect current contracts for delivery, not completed export volumes. CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when export and delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.